Future Shock Blog

Minor League Update: Games of August 20

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Blackburn is having one of the best pitching seasons in the minors, as after another dominant outing on Monday night, he has a 2.55 ERA with a remarkable 137 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 123.1 innings.
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The walk rate speaks to a big reason for his success, as pitchers with outstanding location can crush Low-A hitters, but while Blackburn is not a monster stuff guy, his 90-92 mph sinker is a special pitch because of both the control and the movement, as he has a groundball ratio of 2.30 right now while giving up just three home runs. He projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter, which might seem light based on the numbers, but is hardly an insult.

Jerry Sands, OF/1B, Dodgers (Triple-A Albuquerque): 5-for-6, 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI. Hitting .403/.467/.724 since the All-Star break; even if seen as a product of Albuquerque, isn't he better than James Loney?

KG - hearing anything on Kellen Sweeney? He was very disappointing (moreso than even Kevin Ahrens) for most of his first two+ abbreviated seasons, but has been on the first hot stretch of his career since approximately the beginning of the month. Progress real?